NEW ORLEANS — The Knicks hit the 20-game mark last night with panache, with historical significance and with Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton pick-and-rolling through the Big Easy.

Stoudemire was terrific again with 34 points and 10 rebounds, and his partner in crime Felton outplayed a lethargic Chris Paul, scoring 17 points and 13 assists. It all amounted to the surging Knicks capturing their seventh game in eight tries in a 100-92 takedown of the Hornets at a silenced New Orleans Arena.

The Knicks are 11-9 after 20 games for the first time since 2001-02. They are two games over .500 for the first time since 2005. They have won six straight road games for the first time since 1995. They were rolling — rolling on the Mississippi River last night.

The Hornets (13-6) hadn’t allowed a 30-point scorer this season until Stoudemire stepped into Cajun Country.

“New Orleans is playing great this year, we knew it coming into the game, and we have also,” Stoudemire said after a sizzling 15-of-22 performance to follow up his 37-point masterpiece vs. the Nets. “It was a game we could measure ourselves and see how good we can be,” he said. “We could’ve played better, but it’s a big win for us and a great step. It showed how good we can be.”

Coach Mike D’Antoni is getting into the groove. Last night, D’Antoni took a gamble with former 15th man Shawne Williams, who delivered 21 clutch minutes, scoring 13 points. He made three of four 3-pointers, including a monster trey in the fourth quarter that put the Knicks up 12 with 9:15 left and all but sealed it. Williams also had four rebounds.

D’Antoni lobbied to keep the smooth-as-silk Williams over Patrick Ewing Jr. at the end of training camp and, suddenly, Williams has solidified a rotation spot after making his Knicks debut last Sunday.

Williams, some coaches believe, is their best 3-point shooter.

“I should’ve done it [put him in the lineup] a few month ago,” D’Antoni said. “I got up the courage [this week].”

After feasting on the weak during this avalanche of wins, the Knicks finally dominated a club with a winning record, albeit the Hornets (13-6) were without their leading scorer, forward David West (stomach virus), which allowed Stoudemire to dominate inside.

Of the Knicks prior six victories in this stretch, each came against teams that now have losing records. The Knicks, who lost six straight last month, now rumbles into Toronto for tomorrow’s matinee on the biggest high in years.

“I tried to give you a heads-up back then,” Stoudemire said. “It takes time to build chemistry. It took time to build chemistry with Stephon Marbury [in Phoenix] and Steve Nash. Now it’s the same with Raymond.”

Hornets rookie coach Monty Williams even gave Felton and Stoudemire their props before the game, comparing them favorably to the old Stoudemire-Nash duo.

“You add Amar’e to that system and it’s a different team,” Williams said. “And Felton, I know he doesn’t like to be compared to Nash, but he brings some of those similarities they had in Phoenix. [Felton] is a lot stronger than Nash. So he can get to the basket and can keep guys off him a lot better than Nash did with his strength. They have a number of weapons.”

This win should dispel any doubts the Knicks will remain in the playoff mix until April — as long as Stoudemire stays healthy.

Now they may have a new rotation force in Williams, the former first-round bust who played in Detroit Sunday but only appeared in garbage time against the Nets. This was his third outing, and he has leapt ahead of Bill Walker.

“My mindset going in was defense,” Williams said. “Just playing off Stoudemire, opening up everything for the outside shot, that’s how it came and coach teaches us not to pass up open shots.”

Paul got into foul trouble early and never put his stamp on the game. A late flurry got him to 17 points and 10 assists, but it mostly was window dressing. When it was suggested Felton had dominated Paul, D’Antoni said, “Let’s let sleeping dogs lie.”

The Knicks entered the fourth quarter with a 79-73 lead, and Stoudemire hit a tough turnaround on the opening possession to put the Knicks up 81-73 and set the tone.

“I try to be a dominant force out there,” Stoudemire said. “My coach has always told me to try to dominate. I try to provide a confidence and swagger to our team.”

The ever-impressive Wilson Chandler (14 points, nine rebounds) buried a left-corner 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 84-73 with 11:16 left, and they weren’t threatened thereafter.

After a slow start, Stoudemire wore the Hornets down in the second quarter, exploding for 16 of his 22 first-half points. Felton picked up eight first-half assists as the duo worked with precision.

Stoudemire was 7-of-8 in the second quarter. He got rolling with a 20-footer early in the quarter, then drove past Trevor Ariza for an uncontested vicious dunk.

Then he and Felton worked the pick-and-roll with aplomb. After one slam-dunk finish, the normally mild-mannered Ariza picked up a technical foul by yelling at Stoudemire, “You walked!”